Well, it's very apparent that I've lost my blog mojo. That makes me a bit sad, only because the reason I blog is so I can remember some of the cute, sweet, and funny things my kids do on a daily basis. Well, I'm writing this tidbit down for posterity, so maybe when Little Man is 40 years old we'll be laughing about this - his new favorite sandwich, which is......
Bread, flat yellow cheese (cheddar), and mustard. No ham or turkey, mommy.
I am as surprised as anyone, but he ate it up!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Today, Mama lost it.
I know I've already written about how Little Man started preschool last week. Not parent's day out preschool, but "real" pre-kindergarten. Last week I was expecting tears on my part, but really none came.
Until today, that is.
Today was Little Man's second week of school, and really only his fourth day. But today held something new for me - I had to drop Little Man off in the carpool line. That's right, I had to let a stranger (a teacher at the school, but a stranger never the less) open my car door, unbuckle my newly four year old son, and walk him off to his classroom, all while I sat there and watched. Actually, I didn't really get to watch, because there were what seemed like a gazillion cars waiting behind me (this school's carpool is insane!), and I was encouraged to promptly drive away.
I had only rounded the corner (still on school property) before my face started to crumble. I didn't even know what was happening at first, the tears came and then the awareness of the emotions followed. Before I was on the street I was in full blown crying mode. I was only hoping to keep it together long enough to get away from the guys directing traffic and the other parents waiting at the stoplight. I was only semi-successful.
That was hard. An unexpected hard. Wow, it caught me by surprise. It's two hours later and I'm still tearing up thinking about it. I really enjoyed walking Little Man into his classroom, seeing the morning activities laid out, saying "Good morning" to his teacher, and giving him a hug goodbye. It doesn't seem like too much to ask, especially for a pre-k class. This morning made me realize that, even though I'm trying not to, I'm taking my babies for granted. They do grow up too fast. Little Man is already gone from me for three entire days, and while I'm glad he's learning and having fun, I don't really like it.
Maybe I should check into homeschooling...
Until today, that is.
Today was Little Man's second week of school, and really only his fourth day. But today held something new for me - I had to drop Little Man off in the carpool line. That's right, I had to let a stranger (a teacher at the school, but a stranger never the less) open my car door, unbuckle my newly four year old son, and walk him off to his classroom, all while I sat there and watched. Actually, I didn't really get to watch, because there were what seemed like a gazillion cars waiting behind me (this school's carpool is insane!), and I was encouraged to promptly drive away.
I had only rounded the corner (still on school property) before my face started to crumble. I didn't even know what was happening at first, the tears came and then the awareness of the emotions followed. Before I was on the street I was in full blown crying mode. I was only hoping to keep it together long enough to get away from the guys directing traffic and the other parents waiting at the stoplight. I was only semi-successful.
That was hard. An unexpected hard. Wow, it caught me by surprise. It's two hours later and I'm still tearing up thinking about it. I really enjoyed walking Little Man into his classroom, seeing the morning activities laid out, saying "Good morning" to his teacher, and giving him a hug goodbye. It doesn't seem like too much to ask, especially for a pre-k class. This morning made me realize that, even though I'm trying not to, I'm taking my babies for granted. They do grow up too fast. Little Man is already gone from me for three entire days, and while I'm glad he's learning and having fun, I don't really like it.
Maybe I should check into homeschooling...
Baby Girlisms - Finally!
Baby Girl is getting older - 22 months now - and she's talking a lot! She now has a few of her own "isms" to write about!
A new song she made up, "Abcdefghijklmno - eee, iii, eee, iii ohh."
These new phrases really aren't "isms,", but they sure are cute:
"Daddy's home!" - said whenever the dogs go crazy and bark at someone on the street.
"Where did paci go?" - said while looking for her paci, I just can't believe she formulated a correct four word utterance!
"Here you go!" - said in a cute singsong voice while handing me a cup of "water" from her "kitchen," and after holding the cup under the "faucet" and saying, "sshhh, sshhh" to mimic the sound of water flowing. Absolutely delicious!
"I see you!" - also said in a singsong voice while holding a magnifying glass up to her face and looking at me with a huge grin on her face.
She has also starting making a new face, I call it "Famous Smile." It's a smile just like her big brother used to make at this age, the waaayy over exaggerated smile and squinched up eyes, oh, it's so cute!
I just love my Baby Girl!
A new song she made up, "Abcdefghijklmno - eee, iii, eee, iii ohh."
These new phrases really aren't "isms,", but they sure are cute:
"Daddy's home!" - said whenever the dogs go crazy and bark at someone on the street.
"Where did paci go?" - said while looking for her paci, I just can't believe she formulated a correct four word utterance!
"Here you go!" - said in a cute singsong voice while handing me a cup of "water" from her "kitchen," and after holding the cup under the "faucet" and saying, "sshhh, sshhh" to mimic the sound of water flowing. Absolutely delicious!
"I see you!" - also said in a singsong voice while holding a magnifying glass up to her face and looking at me with a huge grin on her face.
She has also starting making a new face, I call it "Famous Smile." It's a smile just like her big brother used to make at this age, the waaayy over exaggerated smile and squinched up eyes, oh, it's so cute!
I just love my Baby Girl!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Little Manisms
On night recently The Husband asked Little Man (newly four) what he wanted to eat for dinner. Little Man thought a minute, looked at his daddy, and said,
That really was what he wanted. I think The Husband learned that if you ask Little Man an open ended question you never know how he's going to answer!
"A bowl of candy with candy juice."
That really was what he wanted. I think The Husband learned that if you ask Little Man an open ended question you never know how he's going to answer!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
School Days..
Have I mentioned that I love Little Man and Baby Girl's school? I'm sure I have, but I'll say it again.
I LOVE their school!
Today is Little Man's third day of pre-k, and he's loving it! Yesterday I picked him up, all smiles, and he talked the entire way home. Then, once we were home, he bounced around the house, still all smiles, and told me about his day. They had a Spanish encore class yesterday, and while we were eating an after school snack, he looked at me and said, "Hola, amigos!" How fun it that!?
So this morning I took the kids to school, Baby Girl is in PDO today, and I ended up staying for nearly an hour! I walked Little Man into his classroom (last day to do that, next week it's drop him off in the carpool lane :(. ), saw where he puts his bag and where his chair is, and talked to the teacher, who gave a great report. :) I also offered my assistance in the classroom, I told the teacher I'll make copies, cut out crafts, I'll do anything. I just want to be involved in Little Man's school in some way. I really hope she'll take me up on my offer, I think it would be so much fun!
Then it was off to take Baby Girl to PDO, and I realized we were early. I mean 15 minutes early for Early Birds, which is a program that lets parents drop their children off 30 minutes early. So we found a little person playground and played for a bit, and then went on to the classroom. Once there, I tried to drop Baby Girl off and leave, really I did, but there was only one teacher in Early Birds, and she had four babies, all of whom were crying! Oh no! She was acting so calm, she said not to worry, that she "had it," but I saw the look on her face, and knew she was overwhelmed. So Baby Girl and I stayed, I grabbed a crying baby, and walked around the room with two little ones in my arms. Once one baby calmed down I grabbed another. I loved it. Soon enough a few more teachers came in and there was enough help to go around, but I still wasn't about to leave Baby Girl there with all those crying babies, and we had a few more minutes before regular hours started. So...we went to the directors office, she's really sweet and so easy to talk to. I told her what had happened and then I said, "Do you need any extra help? I'll be happy to help." What had gotten into me!? I would love to help, though. I love holding the babies, even the crying ones. I wasn't even going to put Baby Girl into Early Birds, I was planning on dropping Little Man off, then running and errand or two, then coming back and dropping Baby Girl off. However, I soon realized the ridiculousness of this plan, and decided to enroll her in Early Birds. Truly, though, except for the one day I'm planning to work, she doesn't have to be there, so it would be easy to help. Anyway, while I was in the office, several of the teachers trickled in, and many of them have taken care of Little Man at some point, and they all asked about him and how he liked pre-k. A few said they've seen him on the campus, and they reported that he looks like he's having a great time. According to them, he's smiling, playing, and behaving well. One teacher said, "The class was walking down the hall in a line, and he was actually standing in line." It was so sweet for them to tell me this, it made my heart feel so good. Finally, it was time to take Baby Girl to her regular classroom, so we made our way to it, and I dropped her off. She cried, but only for a minute. I waved to the other teachers as I left.
I think I've made friends for life in some of those teachers.
Oh, and I love this school!
I LOVE their school!
Today is Little Man's third day of pre-k, and he's loving it! Yesterday I picked him up, all smiles, and he talked the entire way home. Then, once we were home, he bounced around the house, still all smiles, and told me about his day. They had a Spanish encore class yesterday, and while we were eating an after school snack, he looked at me and said, "Hola, amigos!" How fun it that!?
So this morning I took the kids to school, Baby Girl is in PDO today, and I ended up staying for nearly an hour! I walked Little Man into his classroom (last day to do that, next week it's drop him off in the carpool lane :(. ), saw where he puts his bag and where his chair is, and talked to the teacher, who gave a great report. :) I also offered my assistance in the classroom, I told the teacher I'll make copies, cut out crafts, I'll do anything. I just want to be involved in Little Man's school in some way. I really hope she'll take me up on my offer, I think it would be so much fun!
Then it was off to take Baby Girl to PDO, and I realized we were early. I mean 15 minutes early for Early Birds, which is a program that lets parents drop their children off 30 minutes early. So we found a little person playground and played for a bit, and then went on to the classroom. Once there, I tried to drop Baby Girl off and leave, really I did, but there was only one teacher in Early Birds, and she had four babies, all of whom were crying! Oh no! She was acting so calm, she said not to worry, that she "had it," but I saw the look on her face, and knew she was overwhelmed. So Baby Girl and I stayed, I grabbed a crying baby, and walked around the room with two little ones in my arms. Once one baby calmed down I grabbed another. I loved it. Soon enough a few more teachers came in and there was enough help to go around, but I still wasn't about to leave Baby Girl there with all those crying babies, and we had a few more minutes before regular hours started. So...we went to the directors office, she's really sweet and so easy to talk to. I told her what had happened and then I said, "Do you need any extra help? I'll be happy to help." What had gotten into me!? I would love to help, though. I love holding the babies, even the crying ones. I wasn't even going to put Baby Girl into Early Birds, I was planning on dropping Little Man off, then running and errand or two, then coming back and dropping Baby Girl off. However, I soon realized the ridiculousness of this plan, and decided to enroll her in Early Birds. Truly, though, except for the one day I'm planning to work, she doesn't have to be there, so it would be easy to help. Anyway, while I was in the office, several of the teachers trickled in, and many of them have taken care of Little Man at some point, and they all asked about him and how he liked pre-k. A few said they've seen him on the campus, and they reported that he looks like he's having a great time. According to them, he's smiling, playing, and behaving well. One teacher said, "The class was walking down the hall in a line, and he was actually standing in line." It was so sweet for them to tell me this, it made my heart feel so good. Finally, it was time to take Baby Girl to her regular classroom, so we made our way to it, and I dropped her off. She cried, but only for a minute. I waved to the other teachers as I left.
I think I've made friends for life in some of those teachers.
Oh, and I love this school!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Better late than never
I am so behind on posting, which I really wouldn't care about, but so much has happened lately that I don't want to forget!
We had preschool orientation last week. It was just for parents. The Husband stayed home with the kids while I went up to the school. It felt like the first day of school for me, too. I was nervous. I actually dressed well [ ;) ], putting on a nice skirt and top instead of shorts and a t-shirt. I walked into the chapel, didn't see anyone I knew, so I just took a seat. Then the parents of one of Little Man's classmates from Parent's Day Out came and sat behind me. Whew! It was nice to see familiar faces. A few minutes later a woman patted the seat next to me and said, "Is this seat taken?" I said,"no," looked up, and saw - my neighbor! She didn't realize it was me when she sat down, too funny. Her son and Little Man are great friends, and he is one grade above Little Man, and it was great to see her. Instant relief! The headmaster spoke for a few minutes, he said he thought we were probably all relieved that school was about to start and glad that our preschoolers would be out of our hair. I was thinking, "Boy, you don't understand at all, nothing could be further from the truth." I was hoping the next speaker would be a little more inspirational, and wow she didn't disappoint. At first she had a few jokes, and she was truly funny. She started off by talking about the movie Forrest Gump, and how, many years before the movie was made, she coined a phrase similar to the movie's famous, "Life is like a box of chocolates." Her phrase is, "Life is like a box of crayons. " She talked about the evolution of the crayon box. It started out as a box of eight, then as more crayons were added, it became a box of 16, then 24. Now we have boxes of 64 crayons, even 124 crayons. She also talked about how nowadays the name of each color is printed in English, Spanish, and French, and how there is a Crayola Color Hall of Fame, where retired colors go. So crayons, like life, change, and we have to change with it. She took the analogy a bit further and said that a crayon box has but only one direction, printed next to the sharpener on the back of the box, and it reads, "tear off paper before sharpening." How many of us, as children, actually followed that one direction?" she asked. We usually just crammed that crayon on in and made a big mess, paper and all. Again, life is like a box of crayons. It was very funny, I wish I had actually written this last week when I could remember all the nuances of the speech. At the time I thought to myself, "I like this lady."
I can't even remember her name, or her position, but she is fairly new to the school, and she talked about how she decided to take her current job while attending last year's parent's orientation. She talked about how she had already been offered another job, and had her heart set on it, when she had the opportunity to interview at Little Man's school. She decided to see what this school was about, interviewed, and was open to but not set on taking the position. She asked if she could attend the orientation day to get a feel for the teachers and staff, and so she did. She started off by saying she watched the parents and orientation, which was good, then she attended a staff meeting, which was boring and not so good, but it was the event that occurred after the parents left and the meetings were over that she knew her heart belonged at this school. She said that, at this school, the teachers and staff have a dedication ceremony the afternoon of orientation. They come to the chapel and sing and pray. They hold hands, they build each other up spiritually, and they pray for our kids. Not as a group, but for each child individually. This person told us, how, before the ceremony, each teacher writes the name of each child in her class on a piece of paper, places the names up on the alter, and prays individually over each name. Oh wow, that kind of got me. A stranger praying for my son, praying for a happy school year. Praying (for my son as an individual) for learning to take place, for friendships to be forged, for personal growth to occur. I'm not ashamed to say I cried right then and there. I looked over at my neighbor and she was doing the same! I mean, how freaking sweet is that!? You won't find that at any old school. I was sold! Let the school year begin! I know my son will thrive in an environment such as this. Thank you, God, for pointing me in the direction of this school and making the road to it a smooth one.
We had preschool orientation last week. It was just for parents. The Husband stayed home with the kids while I went up to the school. It felt like the first day of school for me, too. I was nervous. I actually dressed well [ ;) ], putting on a nice skirt and top instead of shorts and a t-shirt. I walked into the chapel, didn't see anyone I knew, so I just took a seat. Then the parents of one of Little Man's classmates from Parent's Day Out came and sat behind me. Whew! It was nice to see familiar faces. A few minutes later a woman patted the seat next to me and said, "Is this seat taken?" I said,"no," looked up, and saw - my neighbor! She didn't realize it was me when she sat down, too funny. Her son and Little Man are great friends, and he is one grade above Little Man, and it was great to see her. Instant relief! The headmaster spoke for a few minutes, he said he thought we were probably all relieved that school was about to start and glad that our preschoolers would be out of our hair. I was thinking, "Boy, you don't understand at all, nothing could be further from the truth." I was hoping the next speaker would be a little more inspirational, and wow she didn't disappoint. At first she had a few jokes, and she was truly funny. She started off by talking about the movie Forrest Gump, and how, many years before the movie was made, she coined a phrase similar to the movie's famous, "Life is like a box of chocolates." Her phrase is, "Life is like a box of crayons. " She talked about the evolution of the crayon box. It started out as a box of eight, then as more crayons were added, it became a box of 16, then 24. Now we have boxes of 64 crayons, even 124 crayons. She also talked about how nowadays the name of each color is printed in English, Spanish, and French, and how there is a Crayola Color Hall of Fame, where retired colors go. So crayons, like life, change, and we have to change with it. She took the analogy a bit further and said that a crayon box has but only one direction, printed next to the sharpener on the back of the box, and it reads, "tear off paper before sharpening." How many of us, as children, actually followed that one direction?" she asked. We usually just crammed that crayon on in and made a big mess, paper and all. Again, life is like a box of crayons. It was very funny, I wish I had actually written this last week when I could remember all the nuances of the speech. At the time I thought to myself, "I like this lady."
I can't even remember her name, or her position, but she is fairly new to the school, and she talked about how she decided to take her current job while attending last year's parent's orientation. She talked about how she had already been offered another job, and had her heart set on it, when she had the opportunity to interview at Little Man's school. She decided to see what this school was about, interviewed, and was open to but not set on taking the position. She asked if she could attend the orientation day to get a feel for the teachers and staff, and so she did. She started off by saying she watched the parents and orientation, which was good, then she attended a staff meeting, which was boring and not so good, but it was the event that occurred after the parents left and the meetings were over that she knew her heart belonged at this school. She said that, at this school, the teachers and staff have a dedication ceremony the afternoon of orientation. They come to the chapel and sing and pray. They hold hands, they build each other up spiritually, and they pray for our kids. Not as a group, but for each child individually. This person told us, how, before the ceremony, each teacher writes the name of each child in her class on a piece of paper, places the names up on the alter, and prays individually over each name. Oh wow, that kind of got me. A stranger praying for my son, praying for a happy school year. Praying (for my son as an individual) for learning to take place, for friendships to be forged, for personal growth to occur. I'm not ashamed to say I cried right then and there. I looked over at my neighbor and she was doing the same! I mean, how freaking sweet is that!? You won't find that at any old school. I was sold! Let the school year begin! I know my son will thrive in an environment such as this. Thank you, God, for pointing me in the direction of this school and making the road to it a smooth one.
Little Man and preschool
Little Man's first day of pre-kindergarten is today. This morning Baby Girl and I got ready, drove to school, and walked Little Man to his first day of "big boy" school.
He was very excited.
He talked about it all weekend, practicing his teacher's name (it's hard to pronounce, with lots of consonants, it's Greek) and talked about his new classroom. The Husband and I talked a lot about it, too. We discussed his new routine, his teacher, and about the other little boys in his room - just by chance it's an all boys room! He was ready to go!
This morning, however, he was not so sure. He stayed up late last night, it just seemed he couldn't sleep, and 30 minutes before we had to leave I was having a hard time waking him up. Little Man is slow to get going in the morning, he likes to take his time with his breakfast and "chocky" milk, he likes to watch cartoons in his pjs, and maybe "later on" he'll get dressed. There wasn't any time for that this morning, unfortunately. Still, we made it on time, but Little Man didn't want me to leave.
Talk about breaking a momma's heart. He clung to my leg, when I pulled on arm off he wrapped the other around me. I was holding Baby Girl so I was pretty much ineffective at prying him off of me and I had to leave it to the teacher. Sad. I brought my camera hoping to take a picture of him in his new classroom, but I knew better than to linger. As soon as the teacher removed Little Man from my legs I said a quick goodbye and skedaddled out of there. Little Man was fussing, but not all out crying.
I know he'll be okay, he really does like school.
Like every momma says, today is bittersweet. My firstborn is in school! I am so excited for him, I can't wait to see what adventures await him, what friends he will make, what kind of little school boy he will become. A great big new door has opened for him, and for The Husband and I as parents. There will be three days a week where Little Man growing and learning, but he will be away from me. I'm a bit sad about this. Gone are the carefree days of babyhood and toddlerhood. When people tell you it goes by fast, they mean it! I am appreciating Baby Girl's time at home a little more today. I am even going to welcome those days when I'm stuck at home with two children, ready to pull my hair out because they're fighting and fussing, and nothing suits them, because at least they'll be home with me. I am beginning to realize how fleeting this time is. I'm sad to say I've taken Little Man's time at home for granted. He's my first, I just didn't know.
Last night he wanted me to linger at bedtime, he wanted some extra snuggles. I obliged. I literally felt the passage of time, him growing away from me, ever so slowly, but moving away still. I hugged him harder. When, at 10:00, he quietly crept downstairs to sleep in our bed, I let him. I snuggled up to my boy and held him, wrapped my body around his and mentally poured all my love into him. I hope he felt it. I hope it filled him up so he can feel safe and secure and enjoy and thrive this new chapter of his life.
I love you Little Man.
He was very excited.
He talked about it all weekend, practicing his teacher's name (it's hard to pronounce, with lots of consonants, it's Greek) and talked about his new classroom. The Husband and I talked a lot about it, too. We discussed his new routine, his teacher, and about the other little boys in his room - just by chance it's an all boys room! He was ready to go!
This morning, however, he was not so sure. He stayed up late last night, it just seemed he couldn't sleep, and 30 minutes before we had to leave I was having a hard time waking him up. Little Man is slow to get going in the morning, he likes to take his time with his breakfast and "chocky" milk, he likes to watch cartoons in his pjs, and maybe "later on" he'll get dressed. There wasn't any time for that this morning, unfortunately. Still, we made it on time, but Little Man didn't want me to leave.
Talk about breaking a momma's heart. He clung to my leg, when I pulled on arm off he wrapped the other around me. I was holding Baby Girl so I was pretty much ineffective at prying him off of me and I had to leave it to the teacher. Sad. I brought my camera hoping to take a picture of him in his new classroom, but I knew better than to linger. As soon as the teacher removed Little Man from my legs I said a quick goodbye and skedaddled out of there. Little Man was fussing, but not all out crying.
I know he'll be okay, he really does like school.
Like every momma says, today is bittersweet. My firstborn is in school! I am so excited for him, I can't wait to see what adventures await him, what friends he will make, what kind of little school boy he will become. A great big new door has opened for him, and for The Husband and I as parents. There will be three days a week where Little Man growing and learning, but he will be away from me. I'm a bit sad about this. Gone are the carefree days of babyhood and toddlerhood. When people tell you it goes by fast, they mean it! I am appreciating Baby Girl's time at home a little more today. I am even going to welcome those days when I'm stuck at home with two children, ready to pull my hair out because they're fighting and fussing, and nothing suits them, because at least they'll be home with me. I am beginning to realize how fleeting this time is. I'm sad to say I've taken Little Man's time at home for granted. He's my first, I just didn't know.
Last night he wanted me to linger at bedtime, he wanted some extra snuggles. I obliged. I literally felt the passage of time, him growing away from me, ever so slowly, but moving away still. I hugged him harder. When, at 10:00, he quietly crept downstairs to sleep in our bed, I let him. I snuggled up to my boy and held him, wrapped my body around his and mentally poured all my love into him. I hope he felt it. I hope it filled him up so he can feel safe and secure and enjoy and thrive this new chapter of his life.
I love you Little Man.
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